Within Reach
by LexusGrey
Summary: Written for 'dollhousefics' Challenge 011 - Reach


Title: Within Reach

Pairing: Adelle/Claire

Rating: NC-17

Challenge: 011 - Reach

Spoilers: 'Needs', 'A Spy In The House Of Love'

"How far is his reach?"

"Dr. Saunders, I really don't think we can jump to conclusions on this. For all we know--"

"How far?!" Claire raised her voice for the first time she could remember. She didn't like to do it, it made her feel out of control, but she needed to know. Could he get back inside the Dollhouse? They'd told her he was dead, and that was a lie. They just couldn't catch him.

Adelle flinched, taken aback, and paused in her response, taking the time to scrutinize Claire's very existence. She re-evaluated the turn she'd take the conversation, and slumped into her desk chair, almost pouting. "Quite far."

That was the answer Claire had been afraid of, and the panic started to rise in her chest, threatening to take over like it had on so many occasions since Alpha had attacked. She backed herself up until her knees hit the sofa, and fell onto it, gripping the cushions until her fingertips hurt. She was shaking, and she hated it. She hated this, hated feeling so vulnerable and terrified. She was a strong person, until the incident with Alpha. It's funny how one thing can change your life so much. She was scared of her own shadow now, so she stayed out of the sun. She hadn't left the Dollhouse since the incident, either. Hadn't even stepped outside, save for the time she walked the actives out with Ms. DeWitt and the rest of the staff. It had been pre-planned; she'd had protection, and it was maybe five minutes. It occurred to her that she should be more afraid of this place than the outside world - she had been hurt here, not out there.

Adelle got past her moment of shock and self-pity, watching Dr. Saunders self-destruct, and strode to her, bending down in front of her to eye level. "He won't get in here, if that's what you're on about."

Claire couldn't help the derisive snort at Ms. DeWitt's words. "You didn't protect me the first time."

--

They'd barely spoken to each other since Claire's slight breakdown in Adelle's office the week before, and now here they were, forced into another awkward situation - Adelle on her exam table, having a bullet wound stitched up. Now the tables were turned. Adelle wasn't having any sort of obvious breakdown, of course, but she was more vulnerable than Claire had ever expected to see her, even if the stubborn woman wouldn't admit she was hurting.

As she finished the stitching and tied off the thread, she flicked her gaze upward just in time to catch Adelle staring at her scars. Immediately self-conscious, she turned her head away, fumbling with the needle to get it into the sharps container, lucky she didn't prick herself. Hopefully Adelle would get the hint that she was finished, and leave.

Adelle reached for her blouse, but stopped, refusing to hold in her curiosity. She and Claire weren't so incredibly different, if you looked down deep. "Do they still hurt?" she asked quietly, trying to catch Claire's eye by leaning forward and sideways, putting herself in the doctor's peripheral vision.

Claire was not going to look at her. "I'm finished," she announced, feeling like she shouldn't have to say it. Adelle knew, and she should be leaving. Why wasn't she leaving?

"I'm aware of that," Adelle responded, sliding from the exam table and moving into Claire's personal space. "Do they still hurt?" she asked again.

Claire tensed, feeling the invasion though Adelle was not touching her. "Every day," she whispered, hoping that would satisfy her boss. If they didn't hurt physically, they hurt emotionally, so it wasn't a lie.

"What does it feel like?"

Claire spun around, her eyes blazing. "Do you think I want to re-live it?" she asked, her voice still calm though a fire raged inside. How dare Adelle ask her that?

"I'm sorry," Adelle said quickly, cursing her lack of social skills in intimate situations. She was fine in front of board members or clients, but when it came to personal interaction, she was lost. And right now she felt like a scolded child. "I wish it had been me instead," she offered.

"Really?" Claire asked, her voice flat. "You want your life to flash before your eyes as you beg a composite shell not to take it? You want to have nightmares about the way he slashed your face over and over, then left you bleeding on the floor? You want to have a panic attack whenever you see the glint of metal or hear anything that sounds like his name? You want that, Adelle? You can have it. I'll ask Topher to perform a scan, and give you an imprint. Does that sound like the ideal vacation from whatever horrible things _you _have to endure?" She couldn't help the bitter sarcasm that crept into her voice at the last veiled insult. How could anyone say something like that? Who would want such a thing?

Before Claire had time to breathe, let alone take stock of her surroundings and attempt to figure out whether her words had the desired effect, she felt a hand gripping her hair like a vice, and lips were on hers, soft but unyielding as Adelle claimed her in the most unexpected way. And by the time she thought of resisting, it was over.

Adelle wasn't sure what had possessed her to do something with such potential ramifications, but it had seemed right, in the moment, and she couldn't regret it. Claire was so frustratingly intangible sometimes, it drove her mad. And she'd found a way to bring her back within reach. It might mean a slap in the face, but she was nothing if not a risk taker.

Both women stood in silence for several long minutes, staring at each other, breathing hard. Claire resisted the urge to reach out and lay her hands on the smooth, warm, bare stomach in front of her, and just slowly licked her lips instead, finally breaking the silence. "Why did you do that?"

Apparently she wasn't going to get slapped. Not for the actual kiss, anyway, but maybe if she didn't come up with a decent answer. "I don't know, it just seemed right," she said lamely, tasting Claire on her lips and struggling not to let her eyelids flutter. "Sometimes I can be a raving lunatic."

"Yes, sometimes you can," Claire said matter-of-factly.

Adelle took that as the rejection it probably was, and turned to leave once more, but stopped again and turned back, her eyes pleading with the doctor to understand why she'd done what she did. "Don't you get lonely?"

Claire played with the hem of her shirt, staring at her fingers as they worked over the fabric, and she swallowed, trying to make her smile look genuine as she picked her head up and answered, "always."

Adelle's lips pulled into a tight line, and she nodded, determined this time not to turn around on her way out the door. And she wouldn't have, if it weren't for a hand on her arm and a whispered word into her ear. "Adelle."

The big bad boss stopped and shivered, her eyes drifting closed, goosebumps erupting in the wake of Claire's touch. "Yes?"

Lips on her shoulder. Her bare shoulder. "Your blouse..."

She dropped her forehead against the door, traitorous tears welling in her eyes. "Of course." _Please, don't stop kissing me_.

Claire couldn't help it, she trailed her lips along Adelle's shoulder to the back of her neck and swept her hair out of the way, kissing her there. The possibilities were too tantalizing to pass over without exploring. She didn't think they could go anywhere together, but they were both lonely and hurting, and Adelle tasted so damn good. Maybe because she was a forbidden fruit. And she was standing in a skirt and bra. And she was beautiful in her unwilling vulnerability. "Your blouse," she repeated, pressing a kiss in between each word. "It's still on the table."

Adelle still wasn't sure where she stood, so she merely clenched and unclenched her hands at her sides, not daring to move and break the spell. But she had no control over the increased labor of her breathing. This was real. Claire wasn't imprinted to desire her. These kisses were real.

Soon kissing Adelle's neck wasn't enough, and Claire pressed her lightly into the door, hands moving to rest on her waist, hips against her boss's skirt-covered ass, an illicit little thrill running through her.

Adelle gasped, instinctively pushing her backside into Claire's hips, grabbing onto the door frame to keep her hands from wandering.

"Are we going to do this?" Claire asked.

"I want to," Adelle whispered, feeling at a loss for the first time she could remember. Where was her unshakable confidence now?

"Do you want to with me, or do you just want a warm body?" Claire asked, a little of her newfound confidence wavering now as well.

"I want someone real," Adelle answered, choking back a lump in her throat as a tear escaped to roll down her cheek.

That wasn't exactly the answer Claire wanted, but it was better than the one she'd expected. She pulled up her nerve and slipped a finger beneath the waistband of Adelle's skirt, trailing it back and forth against her stomach.

"Please," Adelle breathed, her voice barely audible, laced with fragility as she gripped the door frame harder.

The shaky whisper almost made Claire come undone. She had never really known what it felt like to have power over someone like this, and she liked it. But she would never abuse that power. As soon as Adelle said please, she slid both hands around to the back of her boss's skirt to undo it, dragging down the zipper and letting the garment fall to the floor. "I think you should get back on the table," she said casually, stepping away from Adelle but keeping hold of her waist as they maneuvered away from the door and back to the table.

Adelle's heart was racing, and her body was so ready for this that her impeccably tasteful panties were already wet, but as she sat up on the exam table, she stopped Claire's wandering hands, holding them firmly and looking into her eyes. "I want you to know that you're beautiful," she said fiercely, claiming the doctor's lips in a hungry kiss.

Claire wasn't sure what caused the outburst, but she accepted the kiss eagerly, opening her mouth when she felt the pressure of Adelle's tongue.

Both women moaned into the kiss, melting together - it had been a very long time since either of them had felt so connected to another person, and felt that connection reciprocated without an imprint commanding it.

When they finally pulled apart, the wet spot on Adelle's panties caught her attention and her eyes widened, her entire focus drawn between her boss's legs almost as if she couldn't believe that _she _had excited Adelle DeWitt. Actually, she couldn't believe it. "Adelle," she said softly, reverently, her mouth slightly open as she reached out her hand, tracing one fingertip across the wet fabric.

Adelle's hips jerked and she dropped onto her back on the table, grateful for the padding because she didn't lay down slowly. "Bloody hell, Claire," she panted, bending her knees and arching into the close-to-teasing fingertip.

"I haven't done this in a long time," Claire confessed as she climbed onto the table on her knees, leaning over Adelle and bracing herself up with a hand on either side of the other woman's head.

"With a woman?"

Claire shook her head. "With anyone."

"It's because you don't go out," Adelle said, her chest rising and falling pronouncedly with each labored breath.

"Would you go out with this face?" Claire asked, managing to keep her voice as neutral as it normally was, picking a hand up to point toward one of her scars.

Adelle reached up and took hold of Claire's face with both hands, running her thumbs lightly over two of the scars. "These scars do not detract from your beauty, they enhance it," she whispered. "They call attention to your face, which is worthy of attention."

"Thank you for saying that, but let's stop talking about it," Claire said, gently removing Adelle's hands from her face. "And please don't touch them."

Everything in her told Adelle to argue, but she didn't. It wasn't her place. And before she could wrap her mind around the change in atmosphere, it shifted back again, Claire's fingers returning to the crotch of her panties and skating along the wet material. "Have you any idea what that's doing to me?" she gasped.

"I'd like to think I do," Claire responded, staring down into Adelle's eyes as she put a little more pressure on her fingers. The warmth that greeted her felt so good, even through the cotton. It occurred to her briefly that she had managed to get Adelle DeWitt down to her bra and panties, while still remaining fully clothed herself. That might seem insignificant to some. But it wasn't, not to Claire. She could reflect on what it meant later, though. Right now she had Ms. DeWitt's needs to think about. "How would you like me to do this?" she whispered into Adelle's ear, gently brushing her lips over the lobe.

"We're not intellectualizing sex, are we?" Adelle asked with a soft little groan.

"No, I'm trying to ask what you like," Claire replied, her tone neutral as always.

"I like everything. Anything," Adelle said urgently, rocking her hips into Claire's hand.

"This?" Claire asked, snaking one finger around the edge of Adelle's panties so she could stroke her directly with the back of her fingertip. Up and down, slowly, her finger instantly coated with slippery wetness.

"Yes," Adelle hissed, spreading her legs wider, and then giving a pitiful mewl of protest when Claire pulled her hand away. "Please!" she begged, starting to go delirious from the teasing. If she didn't have Dr. Saunders inside her within the next thirty seconds, she was going to expl-- "Oh!" she cried out, the vocalization followed by a low, keening moan as her panties were pulled down and Claire's fingers slipped easily inside her. Two, maybe three, she really had no idea as she shuddered and almost came.

"You're so warm," Claire whispered, almost as if she had expected ice. She knew that was silly, that personality had nothing to do with body temperature, but the cliche had still been lingering in the back of her mind until this moment. Even more than that, though, she now knew the chilly exterior was a front. To protect the hurting, loving, lonely woman beneath.

Adelle was too wrapped up in sensation to even register the comment. Her entire focus was on Claire's fingers and how good they felt penetrating her every defense, violating her in the most amazing of ways. She really didn't care that she was moaning like a whore or writhing all over the exam table, as long as Claire didn't stop. She would deal with the embarrassment later; right now she was in the moment.

Claire watched the expressions on Adelle's face and felt her squirming and rocking her hips, and she had never wanted to make someone come so badly in all her life. So she twisted her fingers just right, flicked her thumb over Adelle's clit, and dropped her head, sinking her teeth into her boss's neck. She'd deal with the consequences later; right now she was in the moment.

Adelle only had one split second to be shocked at Claire's audacity before her orgasm hit her like a sleeper wave, knocking intelligible thought from her head. She closed her eyes as the tightness exploded from her groin, pulsing outward through her entire body, bathing her in a warm glow.

Several minutes passed and Adelle still hadn't opened her eyes, nor had Claire removed her fingers. They were both trying to stay in the moment, and trying to keep each other in the moment as well. Because locked in this embrace, the illusion of love was within reach.


End file.
